I aim to change those images with the help of trillions of microscopic friends transforming sour cranberries into flavorful ferments that you can make now and then enjoy all year long. Fermented cranberries, anyone?

Here on Vancouver Island, we’re lucky to have local cranberries. Yellow Point Cranberries, a family owned and operated cranberry farm marks the seasons for me by their appearance each fall at my local farmer’s market.

Their stand displays a cornucopia of fresh cranberries for just a few short weeks. I grab a few bags and stash them in my freezer to put to good use in the ensuing months.

For the last few years, I’ve not only been enjoying the popular dried cranberries but now also fermented cranberries. My new-found favorite?

By introducing you to fermented cranberries, perhaps I can help shift the consumption of cranberries centered around one day and one dish to a year-round pleasure beyond cranberry relish, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries.

All About Cranberries

Cranberries are often a part of a Thanksgiving celebration in the form of cranberry sauce served alongside turkey. But, there is much more to know about cranberries than that they are usually made into a jellied mixture sold in a can.

Fun Facts About Cranberries

Just a few fruits farmed in the United States are native. Cranberries are one of those fruits.

Native Americans used a cranberry poultice on their arrow wounds because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

One-fifth of America’s total harvest of cranberries is consumed around one day: Thanksgiving.

Only five percent of cranberry crops are sold as fresh cranberries.

New Jersey is one of the top three states in the United States that grows cranberries.

The Lee Brothers, a 7th generation cranberry farm, has been growing cranberries since the mid-1800’s.

How Do Cranberries Grow?

Under water? No.

But why do we always see them floating on water as in this picture that I just can’t pull my eyes away from?

A photo posted by The Economist (@theeconomist) on Oct 12, 2016 at 10:04pm PDT

Cranberries grow on low trailing vines in sunken beds called bogs. The plants are perennial meaning they survive year after year, some being 65 years old. They love sandy soil and take a long time to grow. 16 months!!!

Water is an important and precious commodity for cranberry growers. Though the cranberries grow on dry land, water is used to flood them twice a year.

In December, farmers plug the bogs and flood them for the duration of winter. This is when the plants go dormant and this blanket of water insulates the vines from harsh winter frost.

In the spring, the bogs are drained and the cranberries bloom with fruit beginning to grow by mid-June shifting their colors from green until fall when they turn red. Now, cranberry bogs are flooded a second time for the October harvest.

Ever notice those air pockets inside a cranberry? That’s what makes them float once they are gently knocked off the vines to ready them for harvest. This floating ability will challenge you in the Pickled Cranberries recipe.

Health Benefits

A quick look here at the benefits of cranberries. And guess what? Fermenting them will increase benefits and add nutrients making them just a tad more healthy. Though to reap the noted health benefits, you’ll need to eat quite a few cranberries or consume them in their more concentrated form as juice.

Cranberries are packed with Vitamin C, potassium and disease-fighting antioxidants. Cranberries have been shown to:

Prevent the development of kidney stones.
Quinic acid, abundant in cranberries, may help prevent the development of kidney stones.

Protect against urinary tract infections.
Proanthocyanidins – antioxidants – found in cranberries appear to block the adhesive strands of the E. coli bacteria from sticking to a surface thus inhibiting their ability to stick to the walls of the uterus and bladder.

Reduce dental plaque.
It is believed that cranberry juice can control the overgrowth of bacteria that cause dental plaque.

How to Buy, Store and Prepare Cranberries

Cranberries are in season from mid-September until around mid-November in North America.

Organic vs. Conventional?
What a rabbit hole this question has unearthed…
According to the Organic Center’s “Dietary Risk Index,” which quantifies relative pesticide risks from specific foods by analyzing U.S. Department of Agriculture pesticide residue data, domestically grown cranberries pose almost the greatest pesticide risk per serving of all conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. Only green beans pose a greater risk. Buyer beware.
Buy organic whenever possible. Organic cranberry farmers rely on particularly timed flooding, hand-weeding or other labor-intensive techniques, and natural amendments to maintain their cranberries.
And, to reduce pesticide load…
Ferment your cranberries!New science is finding that bacteria not only make fermentation happen but that they can also significantly reduce pesticide residues in food. One study looked at the role of microorganisms in the degradation of insecticides during the fermentation of Kimchi. Another study looked at a breakdown of pesticide residue in wheat.

Choosing fresh berries.
A fresh cranberry will be shiny and plump and have a deep red color; the deeper the color the more highly concentrated the beneficial compounds are. According to The Spruce, “Truly fresh cranberries are quite firm to the touch and will bounce if you drop them. (Cranberry harvesters will actually bounce the berries against boards to sort the high quality from the low quality.)”
Avoid shriveled berries or those with brown spots. Before buying, give the bag of cranberries a careful inspection to make sure there aren’t any soft or mushy berries or liquid hasn’t collected inside the bag.

Stock up seasonally and freeze.
Cranberries are sold fresh only from October through December. Cranberries tightly sealed in a plastic bag will keep for a month or two in your refrigerator or a year in your freezer. To improve the quality of your frozen berries, first slid your bag cranberries into a Ziplock freezer bag. Many stores have frozen cranberries available year round. Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used in my recipes.

Discard any soft or shriveled berries.
To prepare your cranberries for fermentation, sort through them, discarding soft or shriveled berries. Depending on when they were picked, not all berries will be dark red, which is fine. I don’t rinse my berries, since the bacteria I want to make fermentation happen lives on the surface of the berries.

Cups vs. Ounces?
A 12-ounce bag of cranberries will yield about 3 cups of whole cranberries.

Recipes for Fermented Cranberries

We’re all familiar with cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, and dried and sweetened cranberries but those sour red morsels can also be fermented.

When fermenting cranberries, it is fine to use them frozen. In fact, since I buy mine seasonally, it is the only way I use them. Watch for them to go on sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas and buy a few extra bags to have available when you want to try fermenting them.

In some of the recipes, I have you smash up the cranberries a bit to burst their skins. This can be done with a few quick pulses in a food processor or simply by mashing them with a potato masher. The skins don’t break easily, but as long as you get some of them cracked or popped, the fermentation process will proceed.

1. Cranberry-Orange Relish

Cranberry-Orange Relish is fermented in its own juices, though you will not see much brine rise to the surface as you do with sauerkraut.

The ingredients are chopped with salt, sugar, and seasonings and then mixed well. Using orange juice keeps the brine acidic to prevent spoilage until the lactic-acid bacteria establish a safe fermentation environment. Fermentation enhances the flavors and reduces the sugars.

I love to eat Cranberry-Orange Relish with a creamy cheese – goat cheese is a nice one – and crackers for a tantalizing and eye-catching appetizer.

I recently came up with a new favorite: A flavorful yogurt topping. Top a bowl of yogurt with a dollop of Cranberry-Orange Relish, a sprinkle of toasted coconut and a splash of maple syrup (if you want a bit more sweetness). Makes me hungry just talking about it.

A small spoonful of Cranberry-Orange Relish is also a great way to not only add depth to any meal but to also satisfy a craving for something sweet.

I first chop the candied ginger because it can take a bit of work to get it cut into small bits. All the rest of the ingredients – cranberries, pecans, dried cranberries, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, sugar, orange (juice & zest) and salt – are then added.

Don’t forget the orange zest! Pulse to desired consistency. Here I’ve coarsely chopped the ingredients. You can chop a bit more if you’re wanting a smoother consistency.

The relish then gets packed into a pint jar. I often have some leftover that just gets put into whatever jar I can find.

I don’t find it necessary to use a device to hold everything below the brine. I’ve noticed with many of my relishes and pastes that have higher levels of acidity and ferment for such a short period of time, that no mold grows on the surface. So if you don’t have a “weight” of some sort to hold everything below the brine, don’t worry.

In these images, though, I show the use of the ViscoDisc Canning Buddies which I reviewed here. If I’m going to use a “weight” for my paste ferments, I find myself grabbing the Kraut Source Fermentation Lid as reviewed here. Its spring-loaded plate does a stellar jar of applying enough force to paste and relish ferments that brine is forced out and the ferment is held beneath this brine throughout fermentation.

On the left is my jar of freshly prepared Cranberry-Orange Relish and on the right, what the jar looks like after 5 days of fermentation. Bright colors have dulled.

Cranberry-Orange Relish Recipe

Cranberry-Orange Relish

I love to eat Cranberry-Orange Relish with a creamy cheese - goat cheese is a nice one - and crackers for a tantalizing and eye-catching appetizer. Lately, I'm really enjoying it as a topping for yogurt, adding toasted coconut and a bit of maple syrup. And of course, it's always colorful and delicious alongside turkey.

Instructions

ADD remaining ingredients and pulse until medium consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a bit more sugar if desired.

PACK the cranberry mixture into a wide-mouth pint (500 ml) jar, pressing relish mixture down tightly with a large spoon or tapping the jar on the counter to jostle mixture down.

Leave 1 inch of headspace between the top of the cranberry relish and the top of the jar.

Pack any excess relish into another jar.

SUBMERGE. If using an optional weight, add it now. I have fermented this relish successfully both with and without weight and airlock. It's a thick paste and you may not see much of any brine.

Firmly screw on lid with or without an airlock. Write the date and recipe name on the lid. Since this ferment does not produce excessive CO2, you're fine with just a regular lid.

FERMENT. Place in a shallow bowl on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight to ferment for 5-7 days.

As it ferments the color deepens to a dark red. You may see air pockets develop as CO2 gasses are created. No need to worry. Either leave it be or press down on the mixture with a fork to eliminate the air pockets.

STORE. When taste is to your liking - 5-7 days of fermentation (A sour tang with a bit of sweetness in the background), add the fermentation length to your label and place in your refrigerator where it can last for up to 6 months.

ENJOY. Cranberry-Orange Relish may be eaten alongside poultry. I especially love it with a creamy cheese - goat cheese - and crackers. It also works great as a topping for yogurt.

2. Raw Cranberry-Apple Chutney

This Raw Cranberry-Apple Chutney recipe does not call for a lot of cranberries, but it still makes a festive, probiotic-rich apple salad.

Instructions

PACK the mixed ingredients into a wide-mouth pint (500 ml) jar, to about 1/2 inch below the threads.

Gently press the mixture down to compress it.

BRINE. Pour the brine over the mixture covering the mixture by one inch.

SUBMERGE. Insert your weight and screw optional airlock lid on. Using tape, write the date and recipe name on the lid.

FERMENT. Place in a shallow bowl on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight to ferment for 5-7 days. Don't let it ferment for too long, or your ferment will shift towards the alcohol side.

As it ferments the color dulls. You'll see bubbles rising to the surface during the first few days.

STORE. When taste is to your liking, add the fermentation length to your label and place in your refrigerator where it can last for up to 6 months.

ENJOY. Cranberry-Apple Chutney makes for a great winter salad. It may also be served alongside poultry.

3. Pickled Cranberries

Pickled Cranberries truly are a fun snack food and a great conversation starter at any party.

OMG! I made the pickled cranberries for our thanksgiving bash and they were a raging success! I had only put out a small dish with the cheese plate appetizers thinking it would be too adventurous for most people but I had to keep refilling it over and over as people kept finding me and asking for more. Then I had to put out a large dish with the main meal, too! Delicious!

Bruce

You’ll want to first pop open some of your cranberries to help along the fermentation process. Place them in a large bowl and gently smash with a potato masher or kraut pounder. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Pack the cranberries into a quart jar pouring in any leftover juice. Gently press the cranberries down to compact them.

Cranberries are especially floaty – remember those air pockets – so you’ll want some way to hold them below the brine. A cabbage leaf or piece of folded parchment paper can be used to first trap the cranberries and then a small jar, shot glass or clean rock put on top of that. In these pictures, I am using the PicklePusher as reviewed here. More ideas here.

The cranberries were rather quiet for the first two days, then when I came downstairs on the morning of day 3, I was greeted by the mess shown. Thank goodness I had my jar sitting in a shallow bowl. Everything went into the sink where I popped off the airlock and cleaned things up a bit before repacking the jar so I could continue to let it ferment.

On the left is my jar of freshly prepared Pickled Cranberries and on the right, what the jar looks like after 5 days of fermentation. As you can see the fermented cranberries are a darker color. You can also see the airlock full of the beautiful rose-colored brine.

Pickled Cranberries Recipe

Pickled Cranberries

A novel way to use cranberries. Plus they're fun to eat. Pop them in your mouth like candy for a burst of sour fizziness.

PACK the mixed ingredients into a wide-mouth quart (liter) jar, to about 1/2 inch below the threads. Do not overpack your jar. Once fermentation starts, those little microbes like plenty of space.

Gently press the mixture down to compress them.

BRINE. Pour the brine over the mixture covering the mixture by one inch.

SUBMERGE. Place your weight and airlock lid on.

FERMENT. Place in a shallow bowl on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight to ferment for 7-21 days.

As it ferments the color dulls. You see bubbles rising to the surface during the first few days.

STORE. When taste is to your liking - they will be a bit sour, add the fermentation length to your label and place in your refrigerator where it can last for up to 6 months. The tart flavor will have mellowed and they will be pleasantly fizzy.

ENJOY. Serving these at a get together are a fun way to Wow! your guests. For a gorgeous presentation, place in a decorative bowl, then drizzle with a bit of maple syrup or honey. Include some toothpicks for guests to piece one with and then pop into their mouth.

Three ways to fall in love with fermented cranberries: Cranberry-Orange Relish, Raw Cranberry-Apple Chutney, and Pickled Cranberries. Which fermented cranberries recipe will you try?

A post shared by The Guardian (@guardian) on Oct 19, 2017 at 2:13am PDT

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